


(No) Cause for Concern

by Lumelle



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Eggs, Fluff, M/M, Mute Link
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2019-01-07 17:02:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12237030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lumelle/pseuds/Lumelle
Summary: The king is concerned about what Sidon's love for Link means for the continuation of the royal line. While Sidon wastes no time in convincing his father there is no cause for worry, Link takes a rather more direct approach to problem solving, as usual.It is sometimes a wondrous thing to be favored by the Goddess herself.





	(No) Cause for Concern

"You wanted to see me, father?"

"Sidon." His father was looking unusually grave. Well, unusually for their current times, at least. Before the fall of Calamity Ganon there had been plenty of reason for his grim moods, but nowadays it was rare for Sidon to see his father in such low spirits. That was definitely concerning, though Sidon had no doubt he could solve whatever it was that was bearing down on his father's mind. "I need to speak with you."

"Of course." Though what could possibly require a private audience, Sidon couldn't imagine. He would have feared some danger befalling their kingdom again, except if that had been the case, surely others would have been present as well. "What is it?"

"I… have noticed that you have been spending a lot of time with the Hylian Champion."

"Link?" For all his worries, the mere thought of his wonderful Hylian brightened Sidon's spirits enough to allow him to smile. "Of course. Now that he is here in our domain and there is no peril he would need to attend to, I would be a fool not to enjoy the company of my dearest friend!" The dearest thing to his heart, truly, but he was not going to mention that, not yet. For all that he wished to sing his love for Link from the highest point of Zora's Domain to the darkest depths, his beloved was still hesitant, and wished to wait before revealing the truth to others.

It pained Sidon to keep such great happiness a secret, but only because he wanted everyone to know his joy. He knew it was fear and not shame that stayed Link's tongue, fear of both what others might think of their relationship and of whether he deserved to have such peace and love. In Sidon's opinion, Link was more than worthy of every kind of gladness life had to offer, but he knew there were times when Link was not so easily convinced.

"And are you sure that is all that there is?"

The question made Sidon freeze. He had not betrayed their secret, had he? Link deserved nothing but happiness, and Sidon could not forgive himself if he had put it in jeopardy. "I… do not understand what you mean."

"Please, Sidon." His father shook his head. "You may be grown now, but you will always be my son. I do not know when it was not enough for you to simply give him your friendship and instead you gave him your heart, but it is plain to see that has happened."

"…You disapprove." He was not sure why, knowing that his father had no such reservations about his sister's love for the very same hero, but they would not be having this talk if that were not the case.

"I am… concerned." His father sighed. "You are my heir, Sidon, and the only child I have left of my blood. The royal line of the Zora rests upon your shoulders. While I have no doubt that you are more than capable of bearing the crown in time, the fact remains that you cannot be the last of our line."

It took a moment for the proper significance of the statement to sink in. Then, Sidon shook his head. "Is that all I am to be, then? Just a breeding bull, my own happiness be damned?"

"I do not wish for you to be unhappy." Then what else could he take from this conversation? "However, we cannot simply abandon our duty. I am sure your Champion would not wish for you to do so, either."

"You had no such opposition to my sister's love for him." And that fact hurt perhaps even more than the rest of it. "Regardless of sex, she hardly could have born an heir to the throne from his blood, either. Was that to be my role then, as well? To breed heirs so Mipha could have her happiness?" Not that he would have denied her that, his sister had been deserving of every light in the world, but Mipha was now long gone.

"Sidon, please." Another deep sigh. "I would give you all happiness in the world if that were in my power. And yet, we cannot simply abandon our kingdom on a selfish whim. Or would you tell your beloved Champion that he calmed the Divine Beast and defeated Calamity Ganon in vain, so that you might cast aside the future of our people?"

Unbidden, Sidon found his lips drawing to a snarl. "Do not dare," he growled. "Do not try to pretend that this would be what Link wishes for. Speak to me of duty all you wish, but do not even try to place this on his shoulders."

"I do not say this lightly, my son. Please, do not think I am being flippant."

"And yet you do not understand." Sidon shook his head vigorously. "This isn't only about me, father. If it only were my happiness, I would throw that away without hesitation. I have risked my life for the sake of our people, I would give them the rest of it as well. But this isn't only about my happiness." He brought his fist to his chest, hoping to convince his father of his sincerity. "Link… he has lost more than any of us. Not only did he have to wake to a world empty of the people he loved, he might never fully recover his memories of them, unable to even find comfort in the times they shared before. Not only has he risked his life time and time again, he has already lost it, yet he came back to fight for us. He has fought through every evil Calamity Ganon could throw at us, he has reclaimed peace and safety for us all, and in all that time, he has not once paused to think of himself." Sidon bowed his head. "I am sorry, father. I have nothing but respect for you, and my loyalty shall forever rest with the Zora. However, in this matter, I cannot obey you. Link has earned every happiness, and if he believes my love can give him even a small measure of it, my heart will belong to him as long as I draw breath."

His father was silent for a long time, and Sidon was hesitant to look up. At last, though, there was yet another sigh, this one deeper than any that had come before. "You… are right, my son."

"I… am?" Sidon blinked, lifting his head to look at his father.

"Yes, you are." His father inclined his head. "You are right, I have no right to ask such of you. When your sister spoke of her love for Link, I thought they would find a way to continue the line one way or another; I should give you the same consideration."

"You… you mean it?" Sidon could hardly believe his ears, too worried of having his hope crushed once again. "You will not stand in our way?" He would not abandon Link either way, he never could have, but it would have broken his heart to turn away from his father.

"I will not." His father straightened himself on his throne. "You are both brave and wise, Sidon, and in time you will be an excellent king. Yet how could I ask you to give your heart to the country if I were to send it away from your side?"

"Thank you." Sidon very nearly choked on his words. "I — you cannot believe how much your blessing means to me. To both of us."

"I have seen the fire your Champion lights in your eyes, my son. That is all the assurance I need." His father looked Sidon in the eye. "Forgive this old, foolish Zora his pointless concerns. I only wished to remind you of your duty and not do harm, yet I should have had faith in you. I could not ask for a more dutiful son, nor a more suitable heir. My own fears blinded me to that truth for a moment, but I thank you for opening my eyes again."

Sidon was about to pour out some more thanks, then realized the obviously most important thing. "I must let Link know at once!" After all, to hear of his father's acceptance would no doubt ease Link's mind.

Sidon didn't wait for further permission, rushing out of the throne room. It only occurred to him then that he had no idea where he could find Link. Spotting a guard down the hall, he strode up to them.

"Ah. You wouldn't happen to know where the Champion is at the moment?"

Rather than answering the question, the guard merely looked confused. "Did he not let you know?"

"Let me know?" Sidon blinked. "I haven't seen him since breakfast."

"Truly?" Now, the guard frowned. "He came this way not too long ago, from the direction of the throne room. He seemed to be in a hurry, too. I presumed he had met with you."

No. It couldn't — Link couldn't have —

It would have taken more self-control than Sidon had at the moment not to run. He rushed down the corridors, wanting, no, needing to reach Link and explain everything. If Link had gone by a while ago, he wouldn't have heard the conclusion of the discussion, and if he thought — oh, Goddess, if he thought —

"Link!" Sidon practically threw open the door to Link's room. It was utterly rude of him, of course, and he would have to apologize to Link for it later. Right now, though, he needed to find Link and reassure him of their relationship.

Finding Link, though, turned out to be rather more difficult than he had expected. There was no hide nor hair of him anywhere. In fact, he might have thought Link had simply not come to his room at all, except he could not find Link'stravel gear, either. The Sheikah slate, the weapons, even the ever-present bag of various foodstuffs were all gone.

Link was gone.

Sidon had never particularly wondered what it would feel like for his heart to shatter, not since he had lost his beloved sister. As such, he was not exactly appreciative of this reminder of the raw pain such a wound brought.

*

"My prince!" Sidon turned over to look at the servant hurrying his way. "The Champion returns!"

"Link?" Sidon's heart skipped a beat. He wasn't entirely sure he hadn't misheard, or misunderstood. It had been almost a month with no word from Link, and he had very nearly started to lose faith. "What? Where is he?"

"The guards saw him approach on his horse. He should be here any moment now."

Sidon only barely took the time to burst out a thank you before rushing off to meet his beloved. Link was returning. Link, who he had feared might be lost to him forever, was coming back. That was more than Sidon could have ever asked for, yet somehow, the Goddess had decided to allow him this happiness.

This was not ever going to get easier, Sidon was sure. The delight and relief of seeing Link again was always laced with worry over the injuries he had no doubt sustained during his time away. The cause of his departure only amplified it all tenfold, and Sidon was sure his heart would beat its way right out of his body as he rushed to meet his beloved.

"Link!" He rushed forward, only barely stopping himself from snatching Link right off the back of his horse. Link looked weary and in pain, as much as he ever allowed himself to show such weakness. Sidon had learned by now to hold himself back until it was clear it was all right to embrace his little Hylian, lest he cause even more pain to the one he wanted to keep safe before all others. "Link, you are back! I was starting to fear you wouldn't return!"

Link gave Sidon a slow blink, lifting one hand as though to say something. Then, however, he let his hand fall again, shaking his head slowly. With another try, he lifted his hand to sign.

_'Help me down?'_

Sidon tried not to get immediately worried over such an uncharacteristic request. Link had never asked to be helped off his horse before, even when Sidon had ended up doing so anyway because it was clear his beloved was in too much pain to dismount on his own. Just as worrying was the fact that his other arm was still hidden under his cloak. Had he injured himself so badly, he would not allow Sidon to see it?

"Of course, my dear friend." He wanted to say so much more, wanted to proclaim his love now that he knew his father would not stand in the way of it, but he doubted Link would be comfortable with such a thing yet. He reached to pick Link up by the shoulders instead, lifting him gently to the ground. At least Link settled easily on his feet, showing no discomfort at standing. That was a relief, if nothing else.

Sidon motioned for a guard to take Link's horse, then turned his attention back to his beloved. Link looked like he hadn't slept in days, his expression wan and drawn. He looked up at Sidon with a small smile, though, so he couldn't be too badly hurt. At least so Sidon hoped.

Link seemed to hesitate, then lifted his hand to sign again. _'Need to talk. In private.'_

"Ah, of course!" Though he rather feared what the subject of such a talk would be. "Come, you must be weary from travel. Your rooms are ready for you, as always." Sidon set a hand on Link's shoulder, gently nudging him along. If he was also keeping an eye on his beloved to subtly look out for any signs of discomfort or pain, well, he supposed it was only his duty to do so. He had sworn to keep Link safe and happy, and he would do so to the utmost of his abilities.

Link nodded his thanks, following along the familiar path. Sidon kept talking, more like babbling really, going on and on about how much he had missed Link and how worried he had been. But oh, he was so happy now to see Link again, and so would be all the other Zora, delighted to see their hero return to their domain. At this point Sidon wasn't even sure who he was trying to reassure, Link or himself, yet he couldn't stand to let them lapse into silence.

As they reached the set of rooms that had been designated as Link's, his little Hylian let out a sigh. Before Sidon could even figure out if it was a sigh of relief or exhaustion, Link was striding further into the room, only pausing to quickly sign at Sidon to close the door. Sidon did so, then hurried to kneel down in front of Link, who had seated himself on his bed. They were not quite eye to eye still, Sidon's larger form looming over his beloved, but it was close enough.

"Link," Sidon breathed, unable to keep the longing from his voice. "I missed you so, my beloved."

Link seemed to hesitate, then finally brought out the hand he had been hiding under his cloak. Sidon was relieved to see it seemed no worse for wear, though his attention was then immediately stolen by Link starting to sign.

_'Sorry. Didn't mean to worry you.'_

"Please do not apologize." Sidon reached to caress the side of Link's face, careful to keep his touch light and gentle. "If you overheard any of my conversation with my father… well. I cannot blame you for thinking yourself unwelcome. I only wish you had heard all of it." As Link tilted his head to the side in apparent confusion, Sidon went on, "I managed to bring my father around. He agreed that it would not be right to ask me to cast aside my love for you."

There was a small flush on Link's face as he dipped his gaze. When he looked up at Sidon again, there was a rather alarming sheen in his eyes.

"Oh, no, no tears, my champion!" Sidon leaned in to rest his forehead against Link's in an affectionate nuzzle. "Please, I could not bear to think that I have brought you any more tears, even if they were to be ones of relief."

Link sniffled anyway, because he was terrible at listening to Sidon when he was speaking sense. However, there was a small smile on his face. _'I… did not just flee.'_

"Oh?" Sidon blinked. "What do you mean?" Certainly, Link often had quests to bring him to various corners of Hyrule, but Sidon hadn't been aware there had been anything urgent, certainly nothing that would have necessitated Link to leave without even saying goodbye.

 _'I went to the Goddess.'_ Link's hands were moving fast, now, Sidon struggling to interpret everything. _'To pray. I… want you to be happy. I want me to give you happiness.'_

"Oh, Link." Sidon shook his head, overwhelmed with his love for this wonderful little creature. "The mere fact that you exist in this world is enough to make you happy. As long as you are by my side, I know we can overcome any kind of obstacle. Even those presented by my status as the crown prince."

 _'Yes.'_ For a moment it looked like Link was about to add something, but then he instead reached his hands into the folds of his cloak. He drew out a translucent sphere that was very nearly the size of Link's head, perfectly smooth and round.

"What is…" Sidon's words trailed off as he looked closer. It was not exactly something he had seen so close up before, being the younger sibling, but even so he was obviously going to recognize it. "A Zora egg?"

Link very carefully set the sphere in his lap to free his hands. _'It was… a gift. From Hylia.'_ He was flushing, no doubt embarrassed to admit that he would have been granted such a boon by the Goddess herself.

"Oh, Link…" Sidon leaned in to take a closer look at the egg. There was a hazy figure curled up inside, golden even through the red hue of the egg itself.

A baby. A beautiful, perfect little Zora baby was growing inside the egg, gifted to Link for the sake of their happiness.

"Link." For all that he had pleaded with Link not to cry, Sidon found his own eyes welling with tears, now. "Link, my beloved, you are the most incredible, wondrous being in all of Hyrule. I can hardly believe that you love me as I love you."

Link flushed some more, ducking his head again. He then set one hand on the egg, signing with the other. _'I don't know what to do. I put it in a wet cloth.'_

"That seems to have done the trick, since this little one seems to be quite healthy indeed." Sidon took the egg very carefully into his arms. "Best get them settled in some nice, cold water as soon as possible, though. There is a pool in my rooms that should suffice."

Link nodded, brushing his hand against the egg before standing up. _'How long?'_

"Until the hatching?" As Link nodded, Sidon hummed in thought. "Usually no more than a few days since the eggs have been laid. However, it depends on the circumstances. Plenty of cold water is the best for them, and while your trick kept it well during your journey, I doubt it actually helped the hatching process."

Link nodded again. _'A few days, and you are a father.'_

"Not quite, my beloved." Sidon gave a grin so wide, his face hurt. "A few days, and we are both parents."

Truly, Link was a miracle in every way. And soon enough, they would have another little miracle in their lives, one who would be a blessing on all the Zora people.

*

Being a king, Sidon had come to realize, was much harder than being a crown prince.

It didn't help that he was still getting used to the heavier burden of the crown. He had known it would one day be his to bear ever since Mipha had perished, of course, yet he hadn't expected that day to come quite so soon. His father was still hale and hearty, yet he had chosen to pass the throne on to Sidon around the time their little princess had grown legs. Dorephan had claimed he was going to devote his time to teaching her about her eventual responsibilities, but so far this seemed to consist mostly of spoiling her and acting as an ever-patient climbing toy for a child who had clearly inherited Link's apparent compulsion for scaling any obstacle set in his path. Sidon, meanwhile, was left with the daily grind of actually ruling the Zora's Domain.

Not that he was complaining, of course. He was happy, had a beautiful family, and could devote himself to ensuring the prosperity of his people. What else could he possibly ask for?

"Papa! Papa, are you done for the day?"

All right, so seeing his little daughter run up to him with Link trailing behind her with a small smile was bound to make anything even better.

"Hello there, Zepha, my little pearl!" Sidon crouched down to pick his daughter up. "What have you been doing all day?"

"We went swimming! We couldn't go far though because Daddy can't swim too well." She gave Link a sympathetic glance, receiving a small shrug in return. As Link liked to point out, he could swim well enough for his own purposes; if he actually needed to get somewhere far by water, he could always count on Sidon to give him a ride.

"That's good, though. Your fins are still so small, you'd probably get tired very soon." Sidon nuzzled the top of her head. While she had Sidon's own exuberant personality, the golden hue of her scales and her bright blue eyes were all Link. If Sidon had ever had cause to doubt whether the Goddess had truly given her to them personally, he would have long since found all his doubts banished. She was clearly their daughter through and through.

"Nuh-uh!" Zepha puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. "I'm big and strong and I can swim forever!"

"Forever, you say?" Sidon chuckled, walking over to Link while still carrying her. They settled into a comfortable walking pace side by side, heading towards the royal dining room. "Well! Are you going to come back and visit your poor dads from time to time?"

"Yup! I'll just go adventurering, like Daddy."

"I think you mean adventuring, my pearl. And you'll still have to grow to be just a little bigger before you can venture very far." It filled his heart with both pride and a faint ache to think of her growing up and going on adventures of her own. She was growing by every passing day, and he somehow always found even more love in his heart for her.

"Okay!" She threw an arm around Sidon's shoulder, settling more comfortably on his arm. Glancing around, she spotted the statue of Mipha, pointing at it. "Will I be as pretty as her when I grow up?"

"You are already pretty, my sweet." Sidon nuzzled her some more, grinning as she giggled. "But yes, I'm sure you will grow to resemble my dear sister even more."

"I was named after her." Which was hardly news to either Sidon or Link, but she liked to affirm the fact from time to time.

"Yes, you were, and after Queen Zelda of Hyrule." Sidon nodded. "Though Mipha never lived to take the throne, we hope you will learn from both of their best traits."

"So if I become like them, I'll be a good queen?"

"I have no doubt about that." Sidon grinned widely. "Wisdom, gentleness, an unyielding spirit. Those traits are essential to any worthy queen, or king for that matter."

"Yup!" Zepha grinned back at him. "And lots of sharp teeth! You gotta have those too!"

Now, Sidon couldn't help but laugh. "I suppose that helps, yes." He shifted her onto one arm to free one hand to take Link's. "Shall we go have some dinner now? And you two can tell me all about your swimming trip."

"Yup! And then you can tell me about how you and Daddy and everyone took down Calamari Ganon!"

"Calamity Ganon, dearest. And I merely assisted a little." Sidon glanced at Link. "I'm sure your Daddy could tell the story much better. After all, he was there for all of it, rather than just my small part."

"But Daddy told me to ask you!" Zepha pouted. "Because you can do all the voices!"

"Is that so?" Sidon gave Link a sly glance. "I think he just wants to hear me talk about how wonderful he is."

Link flushed at that, rushing to sign his denial. Sidon laughed at his predictable reaction.

"I am merely teasing you, my love." He leaned down to kiss Link on the cheek, then gave Zepha a kiss for good measure as well. "I know it's a long story, and telling us it all would keep your hands too busy for you to partake in dinner."

Link lifted an eyebrow. _'You need your mouth to eat, too.'_

Sidon laughed. "We both know I am perfectly capable of speaking in almost any situation. Especially when it comes to praising my wonderful, courageous, endlessly incredible husband."

Now Link flushed even deeper, but Zepha clearly agreed, throwing her arms in the air. "Yep! Daddy is awesome!"

"See? You already have all the wisdom of a wonderful queen." Sidon drew Link even closer to his side. "Let us get some sustenance and start the tale of our wondrous Champion. For that is a story that will entertain you for many an evening, my pearl." Which she had certainly known even as she made her request, seeing how she had heard the story quite a few times in her young life.

"Yay!" Zepha bounced on his arm, Link smiling at her antics. "Dinner, dinner, dinner!"

And, really, this simple happiness was worth any hardship life could have thrown his way.


End file.
